Dance, a poem

I recently attended the Adult Congenital Heart Association's 8th annual conference. It was an incredible experience that I'm still processing. The conference ended with a gala and people getting out on the dance floor... here's a poetic initial reflection about all that:

Dance

“So dance, dance,

Like it’s the last,

Last night of your life, life”

A dance floor where Usher and Pitbull sing

“DJ got us fallin’ in love”

Not my scene, scene

…Like really not my scene, scene

“So dance, dance,

Like it’s the last,

Last night of your life, life”

But it was my scene

Because it was my people

Adults with Congenital Heart Defects, defects

Dancing all there together on the dance floor, floor

“So dance, dance,

Like it’s the last,

Last night of your life, life”

I didn’t even know I had a people

A night with peers

I felt normal for the first time, time…

… Nah, I felt they knew my normal, normal

“So dance, dance,

Like it’s the last,

Last night of your life, life”

Dance with your oxygen tube in your nose

And tank in a fashionable bag

Dance up on that doc who sent you home to die, die

Dance because it’s not the last night of your life, life

“So dance, dance,

Like it’s the last,

Last night of your life, life”

Dance for the rolling veins from your Blalock Shunt

Dance for zippers and scars outside and in

Dance for all those whose last night came too soon, soon

Dance because you’ll see the dawn, dawn.